The topic of trans participation in sport is one that is extremely relevant at the moment, with people such as cyclist Rachel Mckinnon, tennis player Renée Richards, triathlete Caitlyn Jenner being some of the more notable trans athletes. At the moment the topic of discussion is whether MTF (male to female) people should be allowed to participate in female sporting events.
It is a sensitive topic and it raises some difficult questions in regards to trans participation in sport. The argument put forward by many female athletes is that there is an unfair advantage held by those who are MTF as they still pose some male physiology, however this is not necessarily true. When a person starts to transition from male to female they have to take testosterone blockers and then the female hormone oestrogen, this results in a reduction in muscle mass, strength and speed as your body reacts with the female hormones.
In most sports there is a ruling in place to makes sure that before a trans athlete partakes in sport at a competitive level they need to have their testosterone level tested, in order to assure fair competition between the athletes, should the level fall in line with the average of a cisgender person they are allowed to compete.
However this year the lines have become even more blurry, with the issue of long distance runner Caster Semenya having an intersex trait. An intersex trait is defined as “individuals born with any of several variations in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, or genitals that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies”. After many years of complaints from competitors about an unfair advantage and investigations regarding her gender, in May 2019 the IAAF introduced new rules that required intersex athletes to take medication that lowers their testosterone, even if it is naturally occuring. However, the rules are only targeted at those running in the 400m, 800m and 1500m races, suggesting that the rule was changed specifically for Semenya. I can’t help but feel like if she had come from a different background she would not have been targeted so heavily.
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